According to an excerpt from an upcoming documentary, Craig Wright claimed that his former partner Dave Kleiman overdosed on drugs he had bought on the Silk Road. However, Kleiman’s publicly accessible death certificate shows that he died from coronary artery disease.
Wright claims former partner Dave Kleiman overdosed
Craig Wright, the chief scientist at nChain and the self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, has been revealed the cause of the death of his former partner and associate. In an excerpt from an upcoming documentary called “Cryptonaires,” Wright is seen discussing potential use cases for blockchain.
Plantholt’s interview with Wright is set to be featured in the upcoming “Cryptonaires” documentary, which contains interviews with leading industry figures such as Charles Hoskinson, Justin Sun, Jed McCaleb, and others. The interview was recorded earlier this month in London during the CoinGeek London conference.
According to Wright, one of the many uses for the technology underlying Bitcoin is keeping an immutable ledger of patient records, which could be used to curb the growing number of people addicted to prescription drugs such as oxycontin.
The issue, Wright said, was close to his heart as his former partner Dave Kleiman died of a drug overdose. Wright and Kleiman were involved in a number of companies together and have reportedly mined over 1 million Bitcoins until Kleiman’s death in 2013.
Wright told host Dustin Plantholt:
“The way he died, not much is talked about, but he actually died from a drug overdose from drugs he bought on Silk Road.”
Death certificate shows Kleiman died from heart disease
Dave Kleiman’s death, while untimely, hasn’t been caused by a drug overdose. Back in 2015, Kleiman’s partner Carter Conrad told Gizmodo that he remembers hearing Kleiman had died from an MRSA infection. Gizmodo’s investigation also showed other mysterious circumstances surrounding Kleiman’s death, as he was reportedly found next to a loaded gun that had been fired into a mattress.
The publicly accessible obituary states the cause of death as coronary artery disease. In the report, medical examiner Reinhard Motte said that a branch of Kleiman’s left coronary artery was critically narrowed, reducing the flow of blood to his heart and ultimately causing his death. The report also noted that the wheelchair-bound Kleiman suffered from obesity.
Though it is possible that his death was drug-induced since Cocaine has been known for causing heart attacks.
The toxicology report found minor amounts of ethanol and nordiazepam, a drug used to treat anxiety, in his blood. The report also found the presence of cocaine metabolite and benzodiazepines.
It’s very hard to ascertain the exact cause of death but it is possible his death was drug-induced if not exactly due to overdose.
Updated at 12:04 UTC, 25 February 2020: content and title has been updated to reflect both sides of the arguments surrounding Kleiman’s death.
